Have you ever "blacked out" driving?

[Royale with Cheese]

I've been doing a lot of remodeling work in my house.  I'm currently doing my hall bathroom.  New vanity, tile, mirror, painting, shower etc....

 

Last night I was painting and I have to keep the door closed to have more room and reach all areas to paint.  I was in there about 90 minutes.  

 

After I got done, I was hungry and went to get some food.  An hour later, I was driving by Truist Park which is 35 miles from me.  Once I saw the stadium, I "woke up" and then was very confused.  How the hell did I get here?

I was awake, signaled when I changed lanes, kept a good speed...basically functioning like a driver should.  But I honestly don't know what made me pass all the restaurants, get on the highway and drive 35 miles.  

 

I didn't freak out but was very confused.  I don't know what to think of it.

Is it possible that being in closed room painting could have caused this?  Maybe just pure fatigue?

 

Has this ever happened to you?

 

[Golden*Wheels]

Never happened to me but even normal latex can give me a headache in a closed environment. I mean paint is a lot safer than it used to be I think fume wise but...you never know. Shouldn't be breathing that stuff if you can help it!  Especially if you are on a ladder doing the ceiling...your head is right in it. Did you run the exhaust fan in the bathroom (if it had one)?

 

If you used any mildew killing paint (kilz or Zinser, common for bathrooms), be VERY careful, they are fing nasty. You'd know though I bet....they practically SMELL like alcohol.

[Royale with Cheese]

1 minute ago, Golden*Wheels said:

Never happened to me but even normal latex can give me a headache in a closed environment. I mean paint is a lot safer than it used to be I think fume wise but...you never know. Shouldn't be breathing that stuff if you can help it!  Especially if you are on a ladder doing the ceiling...your head is right in it. Did you run the exhaust fan in the bathroom (if it had one)?

 

If you used any mildew killing paint (kilz or Zinser, common for bathrooms), be VERY careful, they are fing nasty. You'd know though I bet....they practically SMELL like alcohol.

Just a step ladder to reach the trim on the top of the wall.

 

I didn’t run the fan because I hate the sound lol.  

[LeGOATski]

You blacked out and drove 35 miles?!?!

 

[teef]

oh yeah.  i figured we've all done it.  you just zone out and all of the sudden, you jump back into reality.  i remember reading a great explanation on what deja vu is, and it had very similar reasoning.

[LeviF]

I call it "autopilot." Completely zone out, often on normal commute or driving across NY on the 90.

[DrDawkinstein]

"Blacked out", aka high as fuuuuuuuuuuuuu

 

Glad you're all good and didnt crash or even worse, end up in Alabama

[Nextmanup]

That's weird; you might want to go to a doctor and have some tests done.

 

You could have had a mini stroke or God knows what.  And no, that's never happened to me.

 

Also, as a handy guy who has done a ton of work like what you were doing, no, latex paint fumes aren't going to do that to you.  They'll give you a headache and you should have been way more concerned with ventilation than you were, but that's not going to turn you into a zombie for what was probably 30-60 minutes of driving.

 

Go to a doctor.

 

 

[Gugny]

48 minutes ago, teef said:

oh yeah.  i figured we've all done it.  you just zone out and all of the sudden, you jump back into reality.  i remember reading a great explanation on what deja vu is, and it had very similar reasoning.

 

30 minutes ago, LeviF said:

I call it "autopilot." Completely zone out, often on normal commute or driving across NY on the 90.

 

Yeah, I've definitely experienced this.  Normally when I'm exhausted and in the midst of an hours-long drive.

[teef]

17 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

 

Yeah, I've definitely experienced this.  Normally when I'm exhausted and in the midst of an hours-long drive.

Yeah.  I think we need to differentiate between blacking out and zoning out. 

[Fleezoid]

The real question is ..... during those 35 miles, what else did you do?!

 

[Gugny]

14 minutes ago, teef said:

Yeah.  I think we need to differentiate between blacking out and zoning out. 

 

Either way, I've already called CPS on his ass.

[Doc]

Someone at Mickey D's roofied you.

[teef]

29 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

Either way, I've already called CPS on his ass.

this is the right thing to do.

 

 

 

i just re-read the op and i think i miss understood it the first time through.  i just assumed he was driving and zoned out for a while.  driving 35 miles when you don't have to is not easy to do.  hence cps getting involved.

[Gugny]

Just now, teef said:

this is the right thing to do.

 

 

 

i just re-read the op and i think i miss understood it the first time through.  i just assumed he was driving and zoned out for a while.  driving 35 miles when you don't have to is not easy to do.  hence cps getting involved.

 

I don't even think Bandito would do something like this.

[teef]

9 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

I don't even think Bandito would do something like this.

oh no.  he has his act way more in order than royal.

[ArdmoreRyno]

 

[Royale with Cheese]

16 minutes ago, teef said:

oh yeah.  i figured we've all done it.  you just zone out and all of the sudden, you jump back into reality.  i remember reading a great explanation on what deja vu is, and it had very similar reasoning.

 

I've done it too but not this long or distance.  It's usually driving around town and then for a few minutes, yeah I zoned out for a few lights.

I zoned out in this case for over an hour.

 

The thing was, I was starving because I hadn't had dinner yet....that's why I left.  But then I never got food and passed several restaurants to get on the highway and started driving.  Didn't even realize I was still hungry.

3 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

"Blacked out", aka high as fuuuuuuuuuuuuu

 

Glad you're all good and didnt crash or even worse, end up in Alabama

 

I just said blacked out because I have no memory of going on 400 to 285 to 75.  I did all this and it didn't hit me until I saw Truist Park.

[Wacka]

Once or twice many years ago when I was young, drunk, and stupid.  

A few weeks before I had my stroke back in 2014 I was on a job  in Stockton, CA and was going to the county  building dept office, where I had  been to about 8 times previously. hat \From what I remember I had taken a right instead of a left to the street it was on and drove around for about 10 minutes  before I spotted someplace I remembered. Stupid me passed it  off as a mistake. Later that day I was going to a taco place I had been to before and got there and it had closed down.  Looked up another nearby location in town of that chain in  my phone. Drove around for about 45 minutes, swearing at the Apple Maps app not working. Couldn't find it and it was getting later and i was hungry so I stopped at a McD's I passed. You do not want to be driving around in Stockton, CA in the dark.  Made it back in the Interstate and home with no problem. Should have been a sigh of a problem but I am one stupid pollack.

[WhoTom]

15 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

I've done it too but not this long or distance.  It's usually driving around town and then for a few minutes, yeah I zoned out for a few lights.

I zoned out in this case for over an hour.

 

The thing was, I was starving because I hadn't had dinner yet....that's why I left.  But then I never got food and passed several restaurants to get on the highway and started driving.  Didn't even realize I was still hungry.

 

I just said blacked out because I have no memory of going on 400 to 285 to 75.  I did all this and it didn't hit me until I saw Truist Park.

 

Maybe it was the paint fumes, but just in case it wasn't, I'd schedule a physical and tell the doctor about it. This could be an early warning sign of a bigger issue.

 

Hopefully, it's just the paint fumes.